An International? Non Governmental Organisation,? AFCON, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, has commenced? food safety campaigns in different markets in Enugu, the Coal City capital.
The group which is currently sensitizing traders on the need for adequate food hygiene,? also toured different restaurants in many parts of the state calling on food sellers to ensure adequate sanitation during and after the preparation of food sold to the public.
Our correspondent who monitored the sensitization campaign at Atisan Market , observed that the traders were happy over the visit of the group, even as they asked the government to tar the roads within the market.
Stressing the essence of the campaign, the President of the foundation Princess Ngozi Ugwuanyi stated? the organization was deeply committed towards ensuring food safety in the country.
Ugwuanyi pointed out that many Nigerians had lost their lives through the consumption of unhygienic food products, noting that “when such people die, there will even be speculation that they were poisoned by one person or the other.
“With the full backing of the federal ministry of health, we want to save life through education; we want to teach our people how to prepare, cook and prepare food.
“We are seriously paying attention to restaurants and road side food vendors. They need to be educated on what to do to avoid jeopardizing the life of their customers”.
She? disclosed that AFCON had recruited over 24 thousand members across the 36 states and FCT, adding that with some volunteers, “we shall enthrone food safety in the country”.
On whether defiant traders would be prosecuted immediately she said: “for now we are trying to teach them, we are trying to let them understand the importance of what we are doing.
“I know it will take them some time to get used to this campaign. This is a lifestyle they have lived over the years and we don’t expect them to change suddenly.
“However, whereby they refuse to change after a long time, we shall not hesitate to hand them over to appropriate federal government agencies”. She stated.?
In their separate speeches, some of the traders expressed happiness over the campaign, promising to abide by the knowledge and training they received from the group.
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